Improvement in the manufacture of illuminating-gas



HARRIS & ALLEN.

Improvement 'in the Mjahufac ture ofllluminating-Ga s.

him-129,951. H Patented July so, 1872.

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- UNITED I S'rA'rEs rc-E.

- GEORGE W. HAEEIs, oE ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, AnDEoEATIo P.

ALLEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF lLLUMlNATiNG-GAS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 129,951, dated July 30, 1872.

Specification describing certain Improvements in the Form, Arrangement, and Setting of Retorts, to be used for the production of permanent gases from steam, by the action of incandescent carbon, iron, or other suitable agent, invented by GEORGE W. HARRIS, of

the city of Elizabeth, county of Union, State of New Jersey, and HORATIO P. ALLEN, of the city, county, and State of New York.

Our invention consists, first, in the use of retorts of any form of transverse section, circular, elliptical, or otherwise, set vertically; second, in an arrangement of such retorts around a furnace or fire-space, concentrically, in a bench inclosed in an outer cylindrical Wall, the fiues and passages for the flame from the fire-space being arranged suitably for conl veying a uniform temperature to each retort andto all parts thereof; third, in a construction of the top mouth-pieces of the retorts,

through which their contents are introduced by the attachment of lateral horizontal delivcry-pipes, for the conveyance of the gaseous products to a common central vertical main pipe; fourth, in a construction of the bottom mouth-pieces, through which the ashes and residuum are removed from the retorts, in such manneras to operate as distributers of the steam, the upper part of each mouth-piece being provided with an annular space or chamher, from which the steam passes through numerous small perforations, in jets, directly into the incandescent material contained in the retorts; fifth, in the construction of passages Within the thickness of the outerwall adjoining the fire -brick lining of the fire space, through which the steam-pipes pass on their Way to the distributers, which arrangement results in the superheating of the steam to a high degree without exposure of the steampipes to the direct action of the flame.

Figure 1 is a horizontal section of our improved bench, in which the relative positions of the retorts A A, the furnace B, the fiues M M M, and the superheating-passages H H in the inclosing-wall W W W are represented. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same, showing the positions of the retorts A A, the furnaceB, the top mouth-pieces D l), and the bottom mouth-pieces EE, with their attachments H H are the passages constructed in the thickness of the wall adjoining the fire-brick K K, through which the pipes F F have been conducted in order to superheat the steam. The pipes F F may be composed of wrought or cast-iron, fire-clay, or other suitable material. L L is the large main fiue to receive the small i ircularly-arranged flues M M M, shown in ig. l.

The dimensions which we prefer for these retorts are seven feet in height by two feet in internal diameter; but these may vary, of course, to some extent.

In operation, the retorts are filled with any material which will combine with the oxygen of the steam and eliminate its hydrogen. We use generally anthracite coal, though coke and charcoal are available. To obtain pure hydrogen metallic iron may be used. These materials are introduced through the top mouthpiece or cover.

The principal advantages derived from this improvement over ordinaryhorizontal gassteam must pass; the saving of labor and fuel by heating a larger number of retorts in one bench or by one fire, and so on.

Claims.

.We claim as our invention- 1. The use of several vertical retorts, ar-

ranged radially around one furnace, for the decomposition of steam into permanent gases, substantially as described.

2. The arrangement of lateral deliverypipes, converging to a central vertical main pipe, from a circle of vertical retorts in which steam is decomposed, substantially as described.

3. The combination,with the bottom mouthpiece of a vertical retort used for decomposing steam into permanent gases, of an annular chamber, perforated with holes, for the delivery of steam in jets into such retorts, substantially as described. I

4. The arrangement, for snperhcating steam to be decomposed into permanent gases, of passages constructed in the wall of the oven which heats the retorts on the outside of the fire-brick lining, through which the steam-pipes pass, substantially as described.

GEO. W. HARRIS. H. P. ALLEN.

Witnesses HENRY WURTZ, CHARLES A. SEELY. 

